The Palmyran Triad: Ba'alshamin, Aglibol, and Malakbel in Roman uniforms, 1st C. CE

December 07, 2019

The Palmyran Triad: Ba'alshamin, Aglibol, and Malakbel in Roman uniforms, 1st C. CE

"This name was originally a title of Baal Hadad, in the 2nd millennium BC, but came to designate a distinct God circa 1000 BC. The earliest known mention of this God or title is in a treaty of the 14th century BC between Suppiluliumas I, King of the Hittites, and Niqmaddu II, King of Ugarit. Although this could be a reference to Baal Hadad, and again when the name appears in a Phoenician inscription by King Yeḥimilk of Byblos, other texts make a distinction between the two.

In the treaty of 677 BC between King Esarhaddon of Assyria and King Ba‘al I of Tyre, a curse is laid against King Baal if he breaks the treaty, reading in part:

"May Baal-sameme, Baal-malage, and Baal-saphon raise an evil wind against your ships, to undo their moorings, tear out their mooring pole, may a strong wave sink them in the sea, a violent tide [. . .] against you."

-taken from wikipedia

"Religious iconography in Palmyra, situated on a principal trading route in ancient Syria, often showed a hybrid of east and west: here the oriental Gods are dressed in very Roman-looking military dress.

The Gods were frequently depicted in threes, or triads. The bearded Baalshamin in the centre was master of the sky; to his left is the Moon God Aglibol, with Malakbel the Sun God to the right."